Calls to tackle 'disastrous' Powys ambulance wait times
Calls have been made to tackle 'disastrous' ambulance wait times in Powys.
A call for action has been made to tackle long ambulance waiting times in Powys following the publication of new statistics.
New figures showed that in Powys, only 40 per cent of red calls, the most serious category of incidents, were answered within target times.
This is compared to 50 per cent across Wales.
Meanwhile, 61 per cent of amber calls, which include strokes and heart attacks, took over 60 minutes to respond to.
Other data showed 608,000 people were still on an NHS waiting list across Wales, while more than 8,389 people were waiting over two years to start treatment.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have stated that Labour's management of the NHS in Wales over the last 25 years has been a 'disaster' for the public and said their top priority in next year's Senedd elections would be to fix social care to relieve pressure on hospitals and the ambulance service.
They said many hospitals in Wales and in Shropshire and Herefordshire are unable to discharge patients because social care packages aren't available, leading to bed blocking and ambulances queuing outside A&E units.
'Today's statistics are the latest in a long line that paint a really disastrous image of Labour's management of the NHS in Wales over the last 25 years,' said Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd Member for Mid & West Wales Jane Dodds.
'But behind every single one of these statistics are real people, real families being impacted by the inability to get the help they deserve when they need it.
'We must see real action to drive down waiting lists and relieve the pressure on our emergency departments and hospitals. That is why the Welsh Liberal Democrats will continue to make fixing social care our number one priority.
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MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, David Chadwick, added that he had 'countless' constituents bring the problem up with him.
'People should be able to have confidence that during their hour of need, the NHS will be there to protect them,' said Mr Chadwick.
'Sadly in Wales, that hasn't been the case for some time.
'I've had countless constituents contact me since being elected, outlining the trauma they have had whilst trying to get hold of an ambulance during an emergency.
'None of this is the fault of our heroic ambulance staff of NHS workers, but it is the symptom of a failing system.
'We need to reform social care and ensure patients can be discharged back into the community as quickly as possible.'
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